Microsoft Sidewinder X6 Gaming Keyboard

Pros: I have been waiting for YEARS for a good keyboard with the 10-key on the left side.This should be a no brainer since mice were added as input devices. Backlit well. Comfortable. The programmable 10-key / 5 hotkeys on the left is a godsend for gaming.

Cons: Media keys don't work for non-MS apps. I have 2 of these KBs and the first was missing a peg which holds the internal pad in the correct location. A little black electrical tape fixed it right up. Newer 2nd one was built right.

Summary: I am on one of my 2 SWX6 KBs pretty much 8-14 hrs a day. They have been great for over a year now. Will be buying another should one of them fail at some point in the future. The magnets are not an issue with the PC, but if you have paperclips or similar metal objects on your desk they will stick to the mags, but it's not an issue and the connections are well shielded.

I use J. River Media Center which is the BEST media app on the planet, and I hate that the media keys do not work with it when the app is not in the foreground. This is MS being a jerk plain and simple promoting WMP, and I am a MS fanboy ;) Took a leap coming from 10 years of using Logitech only products, and glad I took the chance. But if Logitech ever comes up with a backlit device with the 10key on the left I will probably prefer that. Until then it's the Sidewinder X6 baby!